Steering, Suspension, & Brakes

I just picked up a Bugeye and I am not a fan of the selections of wheels for a 4 lug pattern. I want to switch to a 5 lug which means I have to go with a 15" (want to do anyway) to get a wheel I like.

So here is my question, What wheels other than stock do you guys use on your smaller British cars(Sprite, Midget, etc.) I would like to know sizes on the wheels and tires if possible and a picture if you can add one. Also is your car lowered? Thanks

The fifth lug will be dead weight. There's no case for it in terms of strength. I can't figure out what the OEM's were thinking...

Call me "old-fashioned", but I've got a big soft spot of Revolution wheels for tiny, lightweight sports cars. Revolution 4-spokes are probably the most traditional and popular choice for open-wheel British racecars. They look especially good painted body color. They really show off nice brake calipers. I believe they're still made in England, too. Regrettably... I don't think you'll find them in 15" sizes.

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update: I got curious and did a guick Google search... turns out you CAN get Revolution wheels in 15" sizes, but apparently you have to either upgrade to the modular version or else go to a brand-new 5-spoke version.




Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/27/2009 01:25PM by Moderator.

Jason, don't get in too much of a hurry, check the wheel wells of that Sprite, there's not a lot of room in there. A 15" wheel will fit but you'll have to run a pretty low profile tire, around a 45 series to get any reasonable clearance. Of course that would open up a lot of options for the front suspension as far as spindle and brake selections, but that also entails a lot of fabrication and design. If you stick with the 13" 4 on 4" pattern your options are pretty limited. The Revolution as Curtis mentioned, any of the Minilite type wheels available, Chevy Monza or Vega steel GT wheels, or if you're luck you can find a set of Americans or other alluminum wheel designed for the Monza/Vega. You might also consider tire availability, it's getting harder to find a good 15" or 13" performance tire these days, so take a look at what's available and plan ahead.

The wheels I would like to use are 5 lug only. I still need to check the offset of the wheels. As far as tires I have a set of 205/50 15 that I need to use on something. I figure they could be used in the rear. Any idea of how wide of a wheel I can go in the front?



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/27/2009 09:03PM by J Man.

How do you feel about flared fenders? (You can buy bugeye fiberglass from several suppliers.) With the right fenders, nearly any wheels and tires you like will fit.

Did you look at Brian Kraus' Midget in the photo gallery? It's not a bugeye, but it will give you a pretty good idea. It has 15x8 wheels and 225/45/15 Kumho V700 R-compound tires.

It is a cool car but not digging the flares. Looks like have has a decent amount of fab work into the car, I will prob have to do the same.

I was looking online and it seems that the stock wheel for the sprite is 13x4.5, is this correct? If so, is it theoretically possible that if I were to run a 15x4.5 wheels with the same backspacing it would fit without any issues? I know that I would then have to worry about the tire size after that but I think I could get around that. Also can anyone tell me what the backspacing is on a stock wheel? Stock tire size? Thanks


BTW, I noticed that there are some decent VW wheels (aftermarket) that come in a 15x4.5 and 5.5 size but they are listed in a 4x130MM bolt pattern. Any chance of them working?



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/28/2009 11:17PM by J Man.

Jason, they might work, but you'd have to make many other changes to the car in order to fit them. It really takes a "total" approach to the project to decide on what components you need. You can have adaptors machined to mount almost any lug pattern and offset wheel, but do you really want to when you might get the same result from a wheel designed for another type car. It really should be a package type deal, everything designed to work together in the simplest manner is usually the most reliable and least expensive. If you plan on keeping the stock front suspension with the 4 on 4" (101.4mm IIRC) then your wheel choice will be a bit more limited unless you use some type of adaptor. What you use for a rear axle will have some influence on that as well, most like the lug patterns to match, front and rear so a spare wheel is easier to fit. The wheels are really the easiest component to get, so settle on the other parts they connect to first. When I built my car I already had the wheels, but I still wasn't going to change the front suspension, so I just selected a rear axle with the same pattern, upgraded to 7/16" studs and it was a done deal. The front suspension is the key, not a lot of choices without a lot of fabrication and design, so get that nailed down first, then on to the rear selection and wheels.

The wheels I want to use are still the 5 lug. I wasn't sure what a 4x4" pattern converted to in MM. If I would have to change the pattern to go to the VW wheels I might as well switch to the 5 lug pattern. Would you be able to confirm the 13x4.5 wheel and what the backspacing is on the stock wheel. Also what was the stock tire size? Thanks

Hey Curtis - thanks for another bookmark - shweet wheels!

I found another wheel that I can use and can come in 4 lug. Sadly all the 4 lug patterns they have available are not 4x4. Did the spridget come in any pattern other than 4x4?

Jason, sorry, but 4X4" was the only lug pattern for Spridgets. Wheels for that pattern other than the currently produced minilites and minilite replicas are much harder to find, but still out there and almost all were 13". If you are set on larger wheels with that pattern you'll probably have to source some custom made units. There are wheel manufacturers that build wheels for racing that can make up a wheel to fit and you might be able to get a company like Performance Superlite to take some 15" minilite style wheels and drill them to 4X4" on a special order. You might check with Hap at Acme Speed Shop about that when you're ready to order. [www.acmespeedshop.com]

I made up this photo for another board, thought you might get some inspiration from it and the GM H body wheels as well. [monza.homestead.com]

If you're set on purchasing a specific wheel (that has a non-Spridget bolt pattern), perhaps Moser can rework your axles to a new bolt pattern. I'm not familiar with the rework suitability of Spridget axles but worth investigation. Looks like Moser charges $60-$85/pair to drill & plug for new bolt pattern and they also have a selection of suitable wheel studs.
[www.moserengineering.com]

I plan on swapping out the rear so that is not an issue. The problem I am having is the front. I will have to look into the custom brake setup. Once I get more details I can post what I find out.

Anyone know how to get ahold of Brian Kraus? I would like to ask him about his front brake set up. Thanks

Sorry, can't help. Brian used to have a web page for his car, but the link now says the site is shut down. From what I've read the brakes appear to be modified Willwood hats fitted to the stock Midget hubs with Wilwood rotors and calipers on custom mounts. Lug pattern still appears to be the original Midget 4 on 4" with wheels custom drilled to match. (The wheels aren't a problem as Hap over at Acme Speed Shop [www.acmespeedshop.com] can drill you a set of Superlites in any pattern you want at no extra charge) There are some early construction photos and information on Brian's car posted at the MG Engine Converison site as well [www.mgcars.org.uk]

Here's a thought, rotate 45 degrees & drill a 4X100mm pattern. Miatas came stock with 14, 15, & 16" wheels over the years. Lots of aftermarket wheel choices, too.

[www.miata.net]